


Rescue

by 0bviousLeigh



Series: Yuma is a Girl [21]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Labyrinth References, Mr. Heartland is implied to be a predator, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 03:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12401931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bviousLeigh/pseuds/0bviousLeigh
Summary: Yuma turns to the stairs. IV and III stand at the top of them. “Oh, joy,” she says, deadpan. “It’s the basket case and his lapdog.”





	Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the rewrite of episodes 41-43!

The walk to the museum is a long one, and it gives Yuma plenty of time to tell Kite about how she came to have Astral as a partner. She even overshares by telling him that Astral is her soulmate, and if Kite continues to try to take Astral and the Numbers away from her, dueling will be his last worry.

“I carry a taser,” she says, taking it from her backpack and showing him, “And don’t think I won’t use it on you and then cheerfully stab you in the stomach to protect my soulmate.”

“Yuma, please don’t threaten murder,” Kotori whispers.

“Oh it won’t kill him,” Yuma says. “It’ll just be really, really painful.”

“Hart’s life depends on the Numbers!” Kite says.

“You still haven’t explained how,” Yuma says.

“I don’t need to know how!” Kite insists.

“Yes, you do!” Yuma tells him, “You don’t treat cancer with a card game, so how are Numbers supposed to cure Hart of this power to put holes in shit?”

“Because of Astral world!” Kite yells. “Because Astral world needs to be destroyed!”

Yuma rubs her forehead. “Again I ask, how does that help Hart? Because now you’re not only talking about stealing souls on earth, you’re destroying another planet.” She glares at Kite. “How do you sleep at night?”

Kite’s eye twitches. “I don’t.”

“Good!” Yuma says. By now, they’ve arrived at the museum. “You may have stopped the blimp from crashing today, but that doesn’t excuse enabling murder. There are living beings on Astral world, who never did a damn thing to you! You’re a horrible person and when Hart grows up and learns what you did, even if it was for him, how many people you helped kill, what is he going to think of you? What is he going to think of _himself?”_

Kotori covers her mouth, then lowers her hand. “You’re kinda right, actually.”

“I know I’m right!” Yuma says. She pulls her bolt cutters out of her bag and clips the lock on the gate outside the museum. “I don’t know much about Astral world, but I doubt this cursed power of Hart’s came from there, if he’s using it to destroy Astral world. So once Astral world is destroyed, what happens to the power that suddenly makes it not Hart’s problem?”

“I don’t know!” Kite yells.

“Then why are you blindly taking orders from people who are just as much in the dark as you?!” Yuma yells back.

“They’re not!” Kite yells. “My father—” he cuts off, going pale.

“Your father what?” Yuma demands.

“Uh, guys?” Kotori says, “A walkway just came out of the lake.”

Kite and Yuma turn towards the building. “Oh,” Yuma says. “Guess we’re being invited in.” She turns to Kotori. “You don’t have to come, if you don’t want to.”

“Too late,” Kotori says, managing a wane smile, “I know too much.”

Yuma takes her hand and squeezes it. “Want my taser?” She asks.

Kotori hesitates, then nods. Yuma hands it to her as they head down the walkway. Kite gets to the museum first and pushes his way into the museum.

“HART!” He screams.

“Oh, god,” Yuma sighs, rubbing her head. “So much for a sneak attack.”

“Give me back my brother!” Kite demands.

“Well, well, well,” a familiar voice drawls. “What a delightful combo we have.”

Yuma turns to the stairs. IV and III stand at the top of them. “Oh, joy,” she says, deadpan. “It’s the basket case and his lapdog.”

“Where is my brother?!” Kite asks, taking a step forward. “What have you done with Hart?”

“Don’t worry. He’s still alive, for now,” IV taunts.

“Keep it up, ugly,” Yuma tells him, “I’m gonna slice your dick off while you sleep.”

IV is so furious that he doesn’t notice Yuma slip her hand into her backpack.

“You want Hart back?” IV asks, “Then get past us. We’re going to duel!”

The red light that IV shoots from his duel disk hits Kite, but the anchor that III shoots out hits the mirror that Yuma whipped out from her bag and bounces back, anchoring to III’s other wrist.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!” Yuma screams, pointing at III triumphantly, “YOU JUST PLAYED YOURSELF, BOY! YOU PLAYED YOURSELF!” She cackles, and Kotori whoops. She turns to Kite who, dare Yuma even entertain the idea, actually looks impressed. “So,” Yuma says, “Should I stay here and help you duel?”

Kite’s almost smile turns into a scowl. “I don’t need your help.”

Yuma ignores him. “Well since we have to wait for these clowns to tell us where in this godforsaken building Hart is, I suppose I will stay.”

“Be careful,” Astral warns Yuma, “Don’t duel with anger in your heart.”

But Yuma is angry. She’s angry, and scared, and she is confused. How did she end up here, dueling by Kite’s side and facing the man who burned her best friend? She takes a deep breath and keeps her eyes closed as Kite, IV, and III summon their cards. When Kite’s attack hits her, she still keeps her eyes shut. She lets the effect wash over her. She searches deep, deep within her heart. She knows she can’t let go of all her anger, so she doesn’t attempt to force herself to.

Instead, she pictures Hart, her father and mother, her sister, Rio, Ryoga, and Kotori. She thinks of Takashi, Tetsuo, Tokunosuke and Cathy. For them, dueling is fun. For them, it’s about sarcastic remarks and bad jokes that have everyone laughing. It’s about strategy, and planning, and using your monsters, spells, and traps to the best of your ability. That’s what she has to do here.

So when it’s Yuma’s turn, she opens her eyes and summons Hope. She takes in IV and III’s shock; they didn’t expect her to have a Number. They don’t know about her and Astral.

IV laughs. “Truly, it would be worthless to defeat someone without a Number.” He smirks. “Just as it was worthless to defeat your friends.”

Kotori whimpers. Yuma shakes her head. “You think an awful lot of yourself,” she tells IV. “You didn’t defeat them.”

IV’s face twists. “I left them in the dust!” he screams.

“You did,” Yuma agrees. “But they got up. They’ll be okay soon, and they’ll duel again.”

“Bitch,” IV spits. “I gave them my best fanservice and you can’t appreciate it! I’ll give you even more!”

Yuma blinks at him. “Uh, that sounds…nice? I’m really into maid café’s lately, you gonna turn that stupid coat of yours into a frilly dress?”

Kotori giggles. Kite makes a choking noise. Yuma turns to him, and he looks at her wide-eyed.

“What was that noise?” Yuma asks. “Are you laughing?” He doesn’t answer, but Yuma would bet real money that he did laugh.

IV continues his turn, and he and III bring out a combo that could have destroyed Kite, if Yuma didn’t play her trap.

“Boom shakalaka!” Yuma cheers as she saves Kite’s ass.

“Was that Astral’s idea?” Kite asks her.

“No idiot, it was mine!” Yuma snaps. “Jeez, you got a crush on him or something? Back off, he’s mine!”

“Astral?” III asks quietly.

“WHY ARE YOU REJECTING MY FANSERVICE?!” IV wails. “I WANT TO SEE YOUR PAINFUL EXPRESSIONS!”

Yuma gapes at him. “Wow,” she says, “Someone has _issues.”_

IV giggles. “I know how to see your painful expressions!” he snaps his fingers, and a screen is pulled up. Yuma’s heart constricts as she watches Hart writhe in pain, calling out for his brother. Kite lets out a pained cry and falls to his knees.

“Brother!” III gasps, “That’s too much!”

“Have you forgotten our suffering?!” IV asks him. “I won’t stop until everyone has suffered the way we have!”

“What suffering?” Yuma demands.  She stares at IV, hands on her hips. “Go on, tell me. That scar on your face you got when you burned Rio alive? That’s not suffering, that’s karma.”

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” Kite screams.

“Oh boy, now we’re in for it,” Yuma says.

And of course Kite falls right into a trap. Yuma shuts her eyes and does her best not to let Hart’s screams tear her to shreds, because that’s what IV wants. She could throw the duel, she’s not bound by an anchor, but if she leaves Kite might really lose. So she saves his ass, again, and then she scolds him.

“Control yourself,” she hisses. “You’re not helping Hart like this.”

Kite stares at the screen, where his brother is shown to still be in pain. “You have no right to tell me what to do!” Kite says. “You have no idea how I feel!”

Yuma walks over to Kite. She puts her hands on his face, and she stands on her toes to look into his eyes. Kite looks utterly confused, and broken. He can’t be more than a few years older than she is.

“My mom and dad are missing,” Yuma whispers. “My best friend has been in a coma for two years after IV started a fire that burned most of her body. Every day I face people wo want to hurt me and take Astral away from me. And you’re right, I don’t know how you feel, but I know loss. I don’t want to see you lose Hart. I’m trying to help you. It may not seem like it, but sometimes, sometimes you have to piss people off to make your moves matter.”

“What?” Kite asks.

Yuma presses a finger to her lips. Then she kisses Kite’s cheek. “Give me a chance,” Yuma pleads.

She walks back to her place across from III. IV says something terrible, but Yuma locks her eyes on III, who has looked uncomfortable from the moment Yuma laid eyes on him.

“How dare you?” She asks III. “As a brother yourself, you should be ashamed. Letting Kite see this, letting Hart go through this? I _know_ your brother is a psychopath, but what does that make you, that you’re okay with this?”

III flinches, and IV snarls at him. “III, don’t—”

Yuma blows a raspberry. IV glares at her, then opens his mouth again, and Yuma blows another one.

“Will you stop?!” IV yells, and Yuma holds her arm to her mouth and lets out the loudest fart-noise she can.

IV screams, “I’m going to make you…!”

But the rest of his words are drowned out by Yuma’s scream, _“YOU REMIND ME OF THE BABE!”_

 _“WHAT BABE?!”_ Kotori screams back.

Back and forth, Yuma and Kotori go, until Yuma breaks into song. _“I saw my baby, crying hard as babe could cry. What could I do? My baby’s love had gone, and left my baby blue, nobody knew, what kind of magic spell to use?”_

And she watches the screen, hoping desperately that Hart can hear her…yes, yes! Hart’s face relaxes, and he briefly opens one eye, glowing with red light, before it squeezes shut again, but Yuma knows that he can hear her.

“Yes!” Yuma laughs, “Yes Hart! You remember, right? I said the words to you, and now I need you to say them with me.”

Yuma walks onto the Duel field, approaching the screen where she can see Hart’s face. _“‘Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city to take back the child you have stolen.’”_ The words have never been more true than now. Tears form in Yuma’s eyes. “Hart, you have power you don’t even realize. You are stronger than this, I have faith in you. Say it Hart, _‘For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is as great.’”_ Yuma grabs the Key around her neck. She can see Hart’s lips move. “Yes Hart!! Say it, say it!”

Hart’s eyes fly open. Beautiful, golden, and focused. “You have no power over me,” he says.

The screen goes black. Yuma turns. Astral is standing across the field. “ASTRAL!” Yuma screams.

Astral holds out his hand, and Yuma runs to him, becoming enveloped in red light. Astral is surrounded by blue light, and they crash into each other. Heat fills Yuma’s body, piercing through to her very soul, but she’s freezing. It hurts, but it doesn’t hurt. She can hear a loud roar in her ears, and she can hear utter silence. When she opens her eyes, IV and III are gaping at her.

“This is my power,” Yuma tells them, her voice deeper. “This is the love I have for my soulmate, for Astral. I am stronger than you know, I am braver than you can imagine, and I will not stand for your brand of suffering any longer.”

She’s able to summon Hope back, and she’s able to perform a chaos XYZ change. And when she ends her turn and hands it over to Kite, she hands him her monsters as well.

Yuma isn’t surprised when she and Kite win the duel. As III and IV’s life points drop to zero, Yuma takes off running. Thanks to the power of Zexal she full-on crashes through a brick wall and breaks into an empty room, empty but for three people—Chris, Hart, and…

“Jesus Christ,” Yuma says in horror, staring at the thing lying next to Hart, “Is that a fucking gremlin?”

The…gremlin…lying next to Hart struggles to its feet. Yuma can only see one eye, and it looks angry. “What are you?” The gremlin asks Yuma.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Yuma says. “I’m Tsukumo Yuma, what the hell are you?”

“Tsukumo,” The gremlin repeats. Then, as if right out of a Jim Henson movie, the gremlin vanishes in a shower of glitter.

Yuma unfuses from Astral and runs to Hart, where he lies unconscious on the floor. She cradles him in her arms and looks up at Chris. “What have you done?” She asks. Chris looks down on Yuma.

Kite comes careening into the room, and she hands Hart off to him. Yuma narrows her eyes at Chris. “ANSWER ME!” She screams.

“What happened?!” IV yells from behind Yuma.

“The ritual was only half successful,” Chris says. “Hart was able to fight at the last moment. Tron only got some of Hart’s powers.”

“What happened to the rest?!” IV demands.

Chris shrugs. “I suppose it’s gone.” He turns to Yuma. “So, you are Tsukumo-san’s daughter.”

“One of his daughters,” Yuma fires back. “What are you, the spawn of Satan?”

“Your father is alive,” Chris says. “He’s in Astral world.”

A swirling mass of galaxy-print opens up behind Chris, and he disappears into it. Yuma turns in time to see IV vanish into the galaxy-print as well, while III hesitates.

“You,” Yuma says, pointing at III. “You’re not like them. You have a conscience.” She fixes him with a steady glare. “When you decide that it matters, you come find me.”

III disappears as well. Yuma turns to Kite.

“I’m sorry,” Kite says, staring down at Hart. “I’m so sorry. I’m going take you home now.”

“Oh, like hell you will,” Yuma snaps. “You listen to me Kite, Hart isn’t going anywhere near Heartland.”

“He’s sick!” Kite screams, “He needs help!”

Yuma stalks over to Kite and seizes him by the hair. He cries out in pain, and Yuma yanks his head back so he will look her in the eye. “Hart is unconscious. He can’t use his power. He doesn’t even have his power right now, because as we just heard, that gremlin took most of Hart’s power and the rest is gone. That makes him just like any other sick kid in the world, and of no use to anyone wanting to use his power to destroy Astral world.” Yuma leans down to Kite. “Now how much of a damn do you suppose Heartland gives about him?”

“Then where do we go?” Kotori asks.

Yuma releases Kite’s hair. “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Knock knock!” Yuma screams as she barges into Ryoga’s apartment. “I hope you’re decent!”

Ryoga sits up on the sofa and squints at Yuma and the parade coming in behind her. “What the hell?” He asks.

“Ryoga, meet Kite, Hart, and Orbital,” Yuma says, going down the line. “Hart needs medical attention, but we’re hiding from Heartland.”

Ryoga’s eyes widen. “Oh god,” he says. He scrambles up and runs to the back of the house. “C’mon, he can have Rio’s bed.”

Kite carries Hart into Rio’s room and lays him on the bed. Orbital wheels in, carrying bags of saline and vitamins, needles and tubes, and other medical supplies. Yuma, Kotori, Kite and Ryoga exit the room to give Orbital space. In the living room, Yuma explains things to Ryoga as best she can. But she only has half the information and Kite isn’t sharing much more.

Yuma sits on the sofa and twists the key’s cord around her finger. _“‘Your father is alive in Astral world,’”_ she says. “Chris told me that, but how could he possibly know? It’s possible he was trying to distract me. It’s likely he’s trying to distract me.” She squeezes the key in her fist. “And I could dismiss it…but…”

The edge of the world. Dad said he found it when he got lost, and he had the key when he came back. The key is clearly from Astral world, because it’s connected to Astral.

Yuma looks up at Astral. He’s been very quiet. “Astral,” she calls, “Do you know how you’ll get back to Astral world?”

Astral shakes his head. “But with each number we recover, the airship in the key seems to get more mobile.”

“The airship,” Yuma echoes. “Maybe…maybe that’s how? But we’d still need more Numbers before it can work.”

Orbital comes into the room. “Hart-sama is stable,” the robot says. “For now, that is all we can hope for.”

Yuma grabs Kite by the wrist to keep him from going to Rio’s old room. “Okay,” Yuma says, “Now that we know Hart will be okay, start talking.”

Kite looks dead. Yuma puts her hands on his shoulders. “Kite, silence is not going to help. Now, outside the museum you said something to me about your father. Finish saying it.”

Kite puts his head in his hands. “Hart was a sickly baby,” Kite whispers. “My father…my father made a deal with someone from a place called Barian world. Hart would be okay, but my father would owe a debt. And that debt would be paid in Hart using his power to destroy Astral world.”

Yuma turns to Astral. “Barain world, does that sound familiar to you?”

“I believe,” Astral says slowly, “That Astral world is at war with Barian world.”

“They’re at war, Barian and Astral world,” Yuma says, rubbing her eyes. “So basically, a boy from Earth got pulled into a war between two alien planets.” Yuma looks at Kite. “Do you know how your dad got in contact with this thing from Barian world?”

Kite shakes his head. “No, but he’s a scientist, a Doctor, and he was studying other dimensions.”

“Oh,” Yuma says, feeling her temper flare. “So your dad, a scientist, decided to trust aliens instead of medical science. Where is your dad now?”

“I don’t know,” Kite growls. “I haven’t seen him in years, his orders come to me through Mr. Heartland.”

“His orders?” Kotori gasps.

“We don’t exactly go on family picnics,” Kite says sarcastically.

“Don’t you dare speak to her that way,” Yuma snaps. She folds her arms. “So Mr. Heartland isn’t the mastermind of the WDC, is he? That’s your father. And is your father the one who ordered you to gather the Numbers?”

Kite nods. “Hart was using his power to hurt Astral world even before the Numbers came to be part of the equation. The Barian being said that the Numbers would help win the war. If we could gather them, then he could take the power back from Hart, Hart would be healthy, and we could go back to being a normal family.”

“So I was right,” Yuma mutters, starting to pace. “The WDC is a front to gather Numbers holders. But it wasn’t you pulling the strings, Kite, and it wasn’t that bastard Mr. Heartland either.” Yuma chews on her lip. “Hmm. So we have to get to Kite’s father to find out more about this Barian who wants the Numbers and how it affects Hart. But we can’t get to daddy dearest because we don’t know where he is. We can’t even get close Mr. Heartland.” Yuma stops pacing. “But the winner of the Carnival will certainly get close to Mr. Heartland.” She rolls her eyes. “Fantastic. So I can’t get away from this stupid Carnival even now.”

“You’re saying ‘we’ an awful lot,” Ryoga says.

Kite nods. “Especially considering that we have nothing in common.”

Yuma smiles. “C’mere, both of you,” she says, beckoning.

They both hesitate, but move closer to Yuma. She grabs both boys by their collars and hauls them in real close. “Now you both listen to me,” she hisses. “We have nothing in common? That’s a laugh. Here’s what we are—people who have lost their families, who have something to prove, who want to protect loved ones, and who know about Numbers. We also now collectively suspect something rotten in the state of Denmark and want to overthrow the corrupt Emperor. And most importantly, we know where Hart is. We’re working together on this and we’re all going to come out of it with what we want. And to do that, I’m going to be the one calling the shots. So far, I’m the one who’s come up with the plans that worked. Ryoga—” Yuma hesitates. “You know why you owe me. Kite, I got your brother out of that museum, you would have failed without me.”

“What plan?” Kite laughs.

“I got you here didn’t I, smart ass?” Yuma snaps. “Your brother is stable and he’s away from Heartland. What was your plan?”

Kite closes his mouth. Yuma yanks them even closer. “From now on,” she growls, “We—Kotori, Orbital, get in here!”

Kotori scrambles over and puts her head real close to Yuma’s. Orbital wheels behind Kite’s legs.

“We are a duel gang,” Yuma says, “And I am your leader. I am the brains, Ryoga and Kite, you two are the muscle. You listen to the brain. Kotori may not duel but she’s the heart of this operation, she’s gonna keep us sane when we feel like going insane, she’s gonna knock our heads together and remind us that we’re not in this for revenge. And we’re not,” She snarls in Ryoga’s direction. “Revenge is a side dish. We’re mainly here to keep others from ending up like us. You can duel IV but for god’s sake make sure it’s in a place where there are cameras and do your damndest to make him confess what he did to Rio! Now Kite, I know you can’t stay in the shadows but you are not, I repeat, _not_ going back to Heartland. You stay away from that man by any means necessary. You can hold on to your Numbers cards, one day I’ll duel you for them but today is not that day. You can duel Numbers holders but you are not to take their souls. You can pretend, to hold up appearances, but Astral will be the one taking the Numbers and leaving the souls. Orbital!” Yuma crouches down to the robot.

“I only take orders from Kite-sama!” Orbital screeches.

Yuma holds her hand out to Kotori, who gives her the taser. Yuma smiles. “You take orders from me now, too.”

“Y-yes!” The robot says.

“Hart is going to be staying here now,” Yuma says. “In the next twenty four hours, you are going to make this apartment the most secure place on the planet. I want alarms on every window—screeching, deafening alarms and flashing lights. If anyone tries to get in here, they will be debilitated. No one other than the four people here now are to move in and out of this apartment. If anyone comes who you think is attempting to take Hart, you use any means necessary to keep them the hell away. You do not leave Hart’s side unless ordered to by one of us. If you need to leave the building, such as in the case of fire or other emergency, you take Hart with you and get him somewhere away from Mr. Heartland.”

“How do I get medical supplies?” Orbital squeaks.

“One of us will get them, or if we release you from Hart’s side, you procure them yourself.” Yuma straightens up. Kite and Ryoga stare at her, open mouthed. “Like I said,” Yuma tells them, “I had a plan. Oh by the way Kite, what’s your dad’s name? I can’t keep calling him daddy dearest.”

“Faker,” Kite says. “Dr. Faker.”

Yuma stares at him. “Y’all serious?” She asks.

“Hart and I took our mother’s last name,” Kite says.

“Good thing, too,” Ryoga mutters.

“Right then,” Yuma says, “Our ultimate goal is to win the WDC and get close to Mr. Heartland so we can demand to know Dr. Faker’s whereabouts.

Kotori pipes up, “But people will suspect something fishy once they see you three together.”

“Then we won’t be together,” Yuma says. She turns to Kite. “This will be difficult. You cannot come back to this apartment. Ryoga or I will take anything you get for Hart and bring it here. We can arrange drop off sites. If you come here, it only draws attention. I’m sure eventually we will all be monitored, if we aren’t already, but I know Ryoga, it isn’t unusual for me to be here. So unless you can guarantee your moves will be hidden, for Hart’s security, you can’t see him. You can stay the night, but tomorrow morning, you’re out.”

Kite gulps. “You’re right.”

Orbital gasps. “Kite-sama…”

Kite closes his eyes. “This plan has so many weaknesses, but it has its advantages too. Maybe it can work.”

“And we’re not going to be alone in this,” Yuma says. “My sister is a reporter, and I’m going to sic her on Mr. Heartland.”

“Um, Yuma?” Kotori says softly, raising her hand.

“Yes, dear?” Yuma asks.

“You and Ryoga seem very…upset with Mr. Heartland. What did he do?”

Yuma flinches. Ryoga lowers his eyes.

“Oh, Kotori,” Yuma says. “It’s…it’s a long story.” She takes Kotori’s hand, and they sit on the sofa. “Remember the girl I said was my duel gang leader, Red? She was born with a heart defect, and needed a transplant. She lived in Heartland tower when she was a little girl and…and she said there was a reason Heartland welcomed sick kids into a place where few others could go.”

Kotori’s face turns white, then green.

“It was quite the subject in the duel gangs,” Ryoga says. “A lot of those people were former Heartland guests, or family of those who were. No one had any proof, because no one was ever touched. But there were rumors, that he would go into kids rooms and stare. A lot of those kids grew to be messed up adults, and no one really gave a damn. Or if they did, their investigations never went far.”

Kite rubs a hand over his face. “It’s why I ordered Orbital to keep an eye on Hart at all times.”

Kotori sobs. Yuma hugs her. “I’m sorry,” she says. “But everything we’ve said tonight can’t leave this room. The more people who know about Hart, the more there’s a risk he’ll be found. As for Mr. Heartland, if the subject comes up with the others, I’ll tell them.” She pets Kotori’s hair. “You don’t have to do this anymore.”

“N-no,” Kotori says. She straightens up and wipes her eyes. “I want to help. My will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is as great.”

“That’s my girl!” Yuma says, hugging her.

“Labyrinth again?” Ryoga asks.

“Hey, it saved Hart,” Yuma says.

“Labyrinth?” Kite asks. “Is that the song you sang?”

“No it’s—” Yuma cuts of and gasps. “YOU’VE NEVER SEEN LABYRINTH?! Hart I can excuse because he’s young, but you?! You have no excuse!!”

“Oh jeez, here we go,” Ryoga groans.

Yuma dashes to Ryoga’s DVD shelf. “I know you have, you gigantic nerd, it’s no use protesting!”

 

* * *

 

 

Yuma walks into her house through the front door. She takes off her shoes, and goes to her sister’s room. Akari is still up, typing away at her computer.

“What time do you call this, young lady?” Akari asks, not looking up. “Did you at least get Hart back to his brother?”

“Yeah,” Yuma says. “Listen, sis, I gotta tell you something.”

Akari takes a sip from her coffee mug. “’Sup?” She asks.

Yuma worms her way between Akari and her computer. She plops herself down in Akari’s lap, so her sister will give her undivided attention. “I got a scoop for you,” Yuma says, “About Mr. Heartland.”

 

* * *

 

 

Kite holds Hart’s hand as the movie plays on the tiny TV in the bedroom. All around the room, Kite can see evidence of the girl who lived there. “IV burned her?” Kite asks the boy—Ryoga—as on the TV, Sarah dances with the Goblin King.

“That’s what it looks like,” Ryoga answers. “He’s told me as much. He was the one dueling her, and the cause of the fire was never discovered.”

“And you three—you, her, and Yuma—were all friends?” Kite asks.

Ryoga nods. “I didn’t want Yuma mixed up in all this. I didn’t want IV to hurt her.”

“How did she come to find the Original Number?” Kite asks.

Ryoga blinks. “What, 39? No wait, I summoned 17 first.”

“No, what was his name…Astral,” Kite says.

“Oh,” Ryoga says. “I don’t know, he popped out of her pendant after she shoved it into a giant lock on a door that appeared to her in a vision.”

Kite stares at Ryoga. “And she says I don’t ask enough questions?”

Ryoga shrugs. “Hey, Yuma got results, dude. Now shut up, we’re getting to the character development part.”

Kite really doesn’t want to see any more development. He’s finding this move inappropriate and he hopes to god Hart won’t remember the monstrosity in David Bowie’s pants.

**Author's Note:**

> I want y'all to rewatch episodes 41-43 and tell me who's the creepier creep, Tron or IV. I think it's IV. Like I'm not exaggerating in this story, some of the things I had IV say are direct quotes from canon. That boy is TWISTED.


End file.
